4 Ways to Use Facebook Graph Search for Your Business

Millions of people pour their data into Facebook every day, what they like, what they hate, where they hang out, what they eat and much more. Up until now the average business had limited access to that information. However, the innovators at Facebook have come up with a way to mine that data more effectively, Facebook Graph Search.

What is Graph Search?

Graph search is the new search feature on Facebook currently in beta testing. The current Facebook search feature is a simple keyword search that matches keywords against page and display names. While this worked reasonably well if you were looking for something fairly specific, it was not optimal for helping people seek out others with similar interests. Graph Search has improved upon this basic search model by employing a semantic search feature that searches all of the content on publicly viewable profiles. This means that you can ask Facebook a question in everyday language and it will find you a list of profiles which answer that question. For instance if you were looking for other Texas Rangers fans who live in your town you could type in “People who like the Texas Rangers and live in Irving, Texas” and your set of results would be a list of profiles with those who you are connected to showing higher in the list than those people you don’t already know.

What Can You Do With It?

Graph search definitely seems like a cool toy to play with, but what are the practical applications of such a tool? The truth is that Graph Search is a powerful research tool for businesses, because it allows you to harness the mass of data that Facebook accumulates from its users. Here are 4 ways you can use Facebook Graph Search to improve your business objectives:

1. Research your social media audience: The key to successful social media marketing is engaging readers. Most of the time social media marketers have to make an educated guess as to the interest of their followers, but with graph search you can research your followers to find out what interests them. This allows you to share more relevant content and become a more valuable part of your follower’s Facebook experience. As a result they are more likely to engage with your campaign, spread your marketing messages, and visit your website.

2. Research Potential Customers: Is your sales team looking for a new round of potential customers? Graph Search can help you find businesses in particular industries or individuals with interest that align with your product offerings. As an added bonus, when you find customers through their Facebook profile you also have insight into what their other interests are and it gives you a way to connect to potential customers on a personal level that will help you stand out amongst your competition.

3. Research Your Competitors: Understanding how your competition connects to their competitors can help you find a unique niche in your industry and help you learn tried and true techniques to help you develop a better online marketing strategy. Graph search can help you find competitors in your industry, so that you can see their marketing tactics.

4. Research Future Employees : If you are struggling to find a pool of qualified candidates for your company? Facebook graph search can help you identify candidates whose interest and personality will fit well with your corporate culture.

Above are just a few of the ways that Facebook graph search can help your business. So how do you get access to graph search? Right now graph search is in a limited beta test. If you are interested in participating you can go to https://www.facebook.com/#!/about/graphsearch learn more about how it works, and put your name on the waiting list. You cannot sign up from your business page, you need to be logged into your personal page to add it.

If you are interested in consulting with a professional on your online and social media campaigns, Nourtek Solutions can help you learn how to integrate new tools like Facebook graph search to create campaigns that will help you take your business to the next level. Contact us today!